Denim Première Vision’s first day draws denim industry community to Milan

Denim Première Vision is open for business in Milan, and the denim industry community seems keen to visit. The trade show is being held again at the Superstudio Più venue in the west of the city, where until Thursday evening it will present the new collections and solutions for Fall/Winter 2025-26 by some 80 exhibitors, notably fabric producers, garment finishers and component suppliers.

This year’s Milanese edition is being held with the city authorities’ patronage, reaffirmed at the event’s opening press conference by Alessia Cappello, city councillor in charge of economic development and labour policy, alongside Florence Rousson, president of Première Vision’s management board, and French consul François Bonet. At the conference, they emphasised how trade relations between Italy and France are strong, mostly in the luxury sector but across the entire fashion industry too. The Italian textile sector and Première Vision’s trade shows have taken advantage of this relationship for many years.

On the first day of Denim PV’s Milanese edition, the industry community certainly made its presence felt. The show’s aisles and stands were unfailingly busy, and exhibitors were clearly happy at the attendance.

“We’ve had a positive day in terms of quantity but especially quality,” said Fabio Adami Dalla Val, Denim PV show manager, speaking to FashionNetwork.com. “We’re a platform that connects brands with the right suppliers. Most of the visitors represent Italian and international mid- to high-end brands, but we are also seeing visitors from the industrial machinery and chemicals sectors, as well as many students. We’re in fact exhibiting a project developed with students,” he added.

Denim PV showcased the work of 15 students from three Italian fashion academies right at the heart of the show. “I wanted students to get to grips with what the industry expects. They drew their inspiration from the trends identified by Première Vision to each produce three designs. We then picked one of these designs, and the students had to work on it again to make sure it met manufacturing requirements. We wanted students to realise that the design is just a first draft, and that technical constraints and customer expectations then come into play,” said Alessio Berto, a patterning expert, who supervised the project.

The products were manufactured by M&J in Bangladesh and FashionArt in Italy, with finishings applied at the Teintures de France factory in the Paris region, and finally rivets were added in Bergamo, Italy. “At the end of this six-month project, we are able to exhibit items designed by students and produced under genuine industry conditions,” said Berto.

The designs selected by the Première Vision staff anticipated some of the Fall/Winter 2025-26 trends. They featured for example increasingly sharp yet understated prints for extra sophistication, optimised garment construction to boost sustainability while also employing less water-intensive fabric treatments, strong new shades, like black, green and purple, enhanced by hints of colour to add vibrancy to the material, and looser volumes through the adoption of flowing fabrics.

As a counterpoint to these trends, a large section within the show focused on the history of denim, exhibiting heritage five-pocket jeans by the likes of Levi’s, Lee and even brands now defunct, coming from the archives of Verona-based producer Elleti. The items featured in the museum section showed that, while cuts have changed over the years, the fabric’s cotton weight has also improved. Another finding was that, during the two world wars, for practical reasons, producers greatly limited the use of rivets and metal components.

All these elements are potential sources of inspiration for visitors and exhibitors alike, as they attempt to steer through a troubled period for the apparel sector. “The denim market is flat. Many in the industry are waiting for the situation to improve, but some are still doing things like they did 20 years ago. At a time like this, one cannot simply stand still. There will be winners and losers,” said Adami Dalla Val. “There is room for novelty and creativity. Nowadays, the range of products seen in stores is extremely uniform. The majority of jeans feature virtually the same treatments and styles, but a broader range of opportunities is available. Some of [the show’s] international exhibitors are coming up with answers,” he added.

Answers that the industry will be able to examine at the show until June 6, among the stands and via various conferences anticipating the coming seasons’ hot topics. More inspiration will be on show in December: Denim PV has in fact approved a winter session scheduled on December 4-5 in the same venue, for the Spring/Summer 2026 collections.